OPINION: The W.Va. Budget 'Heist'
OP-EDS COME AND GO. And come and go and come and go. They often quickly pass out of relevance with the week, or month or legislative session. Now and then, one comes along that's a keeper. Even after — or if — West Virginia's dysfunctional state legislature and Gov. Jim Justice ever get around to passing a budget for 2017. the points made in this no-holds-barred June 6, 2017 Charleston Gazette-Mail op-ed by Stephen Smith, bear remembering and recalling for what they say about the — shall we say, 'deep state' — state of West Virginia. The core issue that Smith, director of the Our Children, Our Future Campaign, underscores lies at the heart of so many of the state's fiscal and social woes. Here are his opening salvos. Read the full piece at the Gazette-Mail:
BY STEPHEN SMITH | Charleston Gazette-Mail | In West Virginia today, there is a heist being planned in broad daylight,
When surveyed in March, 74 percent of West Virginia voters agreed with a budget plan that would do three things: protect basic services (roads, schools, seniors, jobs, medicine); share the tax burden across class lines; and solve the long-term deficit so we aren’t stuck in this mess again in a couple years.
t’s a simple solution. Protect the state. Share the load. Don’t kick the can. Nearly a month ago, a citizens coalition called Protect West Virginia released one version of what this could look like — calling it the Simple Plan. Hundreds of calls and emails poured in to support it.
It now appears that the majority of lawmakers agree with this basic framework, with Republican and Democratic leadership in both chambers voicing public support for versions of this “simplified” approach.
So, why are we 25 days away from a partial government shutdown, with no end in sight?
Most of this debate is happening behind closed doors, but it appears that the sticking point is “tax reform,” which is the politician’s way of saying “tax cuts for the rich.” Who pays for those tax cuts? Working families.
Regular people get arrested for taking things that don’t belong to them. Politicians get corporate donations...
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